Malware is a common threat to computing systems of all types, and many intellectual and computing resources are dedicated to battling this threat. However, malware is not the only type of problematic application that can affect computer users. Scam applications, which cause no active harm to the computer but also do little or no good, are a threat to users' wallets and their data security. Scam applications may pose as computer cleaning applications, anti-spyware or anti-virus applications, or any other kind of legitimate application. A scam application may even use a similar name to a legitimate application. While some scam applications may perform limited functions, in general they are less effective than legitimate applications that advertise the same services.
Unfortunately, most traditional methods for warning users about untrustworthy applications focus on malware. Traditional systems may scan an application for malicious code or block malicious actions of a piece of malware before they can take effect. However, these methods may not find scam applications that don't perform malicious actions on computing devices. A traditional system that only evaluates an application after download may be unable to prevent a user from wasting money paying for a scam application. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for warning users about untrustworthy application payment pages.